Charlie: The Life And Art Of Charles Chaplin

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All Rise...

Judge Bill Treadway discusses the limelight-loving Charlie, not the Charlie who started the clandestine investigation service and hired three lovely police officers.

The Charge

The definitive look at cinema's first genius.

The Case

Not quite. Although a valiant effort, Richard Schickel's documentary
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin is far from definitive. The
case proudly proclaims that this film was "a highlight of 2003's Cannes
Film Festival." So it was when you consider that the 2003 Cannes Film
Festival was proclaimed the worst in the festival's history. Hell, even your
father's amateur home movies are miles better than Vincent Gallo's The Brown
Bunny, an official entry. But I'm not being fair to Schickel, a film critic
whom I really respect. It's not his fault that the documentary comes up
short.

The biggest problem lies in the fact that Chaplin is a complex figure who
requires far more than two hours and thirteen minutes to discuss properly. For a
film that purports to be about life and art, it is unbalanced: Art definitely
dominates the proceedings. Of course, films played a very important part in
Chaplin's life. However, read Chaplin's autobiography and you'll discover a rich
life brimming with irony, triumph, and tragedy in equal amounts. The film only
hints at a few key events, most of which are mentioned in passing. By the end of
the film, we don't know much more about Chaplin the man than when it began. I do
not want to be totally negative here, however. There is one aspect that Schickel
touches on appropriately: The man loved working, and you can see the joy in
exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. The great fault of the 1992 biopic was that
it made the work seem like a chore. Chaplin often described working on a new
project as the happiest times of his life. We feel the happiness here.

Schickel structures his documentary by alternating clips from Chaplin's
films with latter-day interviews featuring recollections of Chaplin family
members and analysis from top-notch filmmaking talent such as Martin Scorsese,
Woody Allen, Robert Downey, Jr., and Richard Attenborough. (The latter two are
the star and director of the aforementioned Chaplin.) To tell the truth, the all-star
analysis actually works here. Scorsese is renowned for his immense insights into
film, and Schickel gives him plenty of time to talk here. The best scenes
revolve around three (of the surviving eleven) Chaplin children. Each one gives
us unique insight into what it was like to have Charles Chaplin as a father.
These scenes are so good that I hope Schickel makes a follow-up documentary
featuring further recollections. My sole complaint with the all-star interviews
is that with over twenty interviewees, there is a wanting effect after the
ending.

Schickel covers most of Chaplin's work. The acknowledged masterpieces such
as City Lights, The Great Dictator, and Modern Times receive much attention.
To his credit, he also pays a great deal of attention to several Chaplin films
that still do not receive the proper respect today (in particular, Monsieur Verdoux and A Woman of
Paris). I was disappointed that Schickel chose to largely ignore A King
in New York (1957) and A
Countess from Hong Kong (1967), only mentioning them in passing. They are
every bit as great as Chaplin's other films and deserve reappraisal.

The case insert for Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
lists the aspect ratio as a "matted" widescreen format. This is not
entirely true. While the interview segments are presented in 1.85:1
non-anamorphic, the remainder of the film is in full frame. This is appropriate
for the clips of Chaplin's work, which was composed for Academy ratio (roughly
the size of your standard television set). Cropping this footage would be a
cardinal sin, and I am glad that Warner Bros. chose not to. Now that we have
that out of the way, how does it look? The image is excellent. The Chaplin clips
look remarkable for their age, clean and crisp; I was blown away. (I hadn't yet
screened the restored films.) The new footage, as expected, looks great. The
sole flaw is some edge enhancement. However, I do not think this is a major
debit as the classic footage is the main attraction.

I am still stymied about the choice to present the Chaplin catalog in Dolby
Digital 5.1. While I am usually a champion of stereo sound, mono sound can be
just as effective. The reprocessing of the classic Chaplin scores results in a
strange hollowness that never sounds natural. Schickel's documentary doesn't use
any innovative sound effects or gimmicks, so a mono mix would have been
enough.

Unlike the other discs in the Chaplin Collection, this one features no
extras. Keep in mind that Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin is
intended as a bonus disc in the must-own Volume Two box set. If you're a fan of
Chaplin, owning this set is pretty much mandatory. It does carry a steep price,
but when you consider how much great entertainment it offers, the price
shouldn't matter. Casual fans, however, might best rent the disc or wait until
Turner Classic Movies airs the documentary again. Whatever path you choose, be
forewarned: If you really want to know more about Charles Chaplin the man and
the filmmaker, read a book. As hard as Schickel tries, the subject is too rich
and broad to do justice to in two and a quarter hours. Schickel has made a good
film, though, and the clips serve as a good sampler of Chaplin's work.

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